Loose reed for looms



1936. s. WILLIAMS ET AL v LOOSE REED FOR LOOMS Filed Aug. 5, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .0 m M m MB @A f 5M 314M, 756 w W Patented Oct. 20, 1936 UETED STATES LOOSE REED FOR LooMs Stanley Williams a Hones Application August 5,

I 3 Claims.

This invention relates to looms, and more especially to the loose reed mechanism thereof.

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved structure of this kind wherein the beat of the reed may be very readily determined and then adjusted and retained in adjustment.

Ordinarily the function of the reed mechanism is to beat up the filling in the shed or to compact the fabric by beating up the weft, but the reed mechanism herein described is so constructed or mounted that streaks which develop in silk fabric, when the loom is stopped between the point where the Weaving stopped and the weaving is resumed, are entirely avoided or reduced to a negligible quantity. The cause of this streaking is due to the fact that the filling or weft thread becomes slightly displaced while the loom is stopped.

This invention provides an efiicient device or attachment which may be quickly and detachably connected to the batten frame or lay for resiliently holding the reed frame against the batten frame or lay.

Broadly, the invention is directed to an auxiliary mechanism or tensioning appliance which is adapted to cooperate with a relatively stationary batten frame or lay and a reed frame which is swingably mounted upon and carried by said batten frame.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device which is not mounted upon the upright batten or lay end but instead upon the batten frame so as to be in a position to exert the same even pressure against the reed frame for the entire width thereof. The object is to avoid too much pressure out on the ends of the reed frame which in turn causes buckling of the reed frame in the middle portion.

Another object of the invention is to provide two tensioning springs for each device with two extending pressure producing arms, instead of a single arm, whereby greater pressure upon the reed frame is obtained.

Another object is to provide a plurality of the devices, so spaced with respect to the reed frame and batten frame or lay that the pressure exerted upon the reed frame will be divided equally.

A further object of the invention is to provide a worm and gear adjusting means for varying the tension of the coil springs employed whereby more accurate tensioning is assured and after the reed frame has been adjusted, the worm and gear means will positively retain the reed frame in adjustment.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a vertical rear elevation of the batten frame or lay and the reed frame (reduced nd Max Bornstein, dale, Pa.

1935, Serial No. 34,828

in length) looking in the direction of the arrow of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the batten frame or lay, showing the invention applied thereto;

Figure 3 is a vertical end elevation of the device shown mounted on the left hand portion of the batten frame of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is an exploded view of one of the bushings and anti-friction rings which when nested are confined within the coils of the springs shown in Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, the loom, to which the attachment is fastened, is of the type made by Crompton and Knowles Loom Works and more particularly of the type shown in the patent to Holmes, 1,926,382, September 12, 1933. course, any loom employing a loose reed could be shown but the loom shown in the above patent has been chosen because of the fact that it is used to a great extent in the weaving mills.

In Figure 2, the batten frame or lay 5 is mounted on a lay sword 6 and is provided with a lay end 1. The race plate 8 is fixed to the lay and the lay is provided with a plurality of stop screws 9, the position of which is determined by the lock nut I0, said stop screws serving to position a stop plate II which has a horizontal extension I 2 through which extends a series of bolts |3. The vertical rear surface I4 on the stop may be moved backwardly or forwardly by means of the screws 9.

Each lay end 1 is provided with a member |5 carrying a pin l6 which passes through a hub ll of the arm I8, The arm I8 is bolted to the horizontal member IQ of a T iron 2|] having a depending leg 2|. A holder 22 isheld to the leg 2| by a series of bolts 23, one of which is shown in Figure 2. The holder is spaced from the leg 2| by the thickness of the top rib 24 of the reed frame. The lower rib 25 of the reed frame engages the surface M of the stop plate The reed is shown at 26.

The movement of the lay and the reed need not be set forth herein since this is well known to those skilled in the art and should it be necessary to determine how this particular reed functions, reference may be had to the above-mentioned patent.

Means should be provided to resiliently hold the reed frame against the batten frame or lay and such means forms the subject matter of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows tworeed tensioning devices 30 and 60, which devices are spaced evenly with respect to the vertical center line of the reed frame suitably secured thereto.

- on each loom, when viewed from the back of the lay, the two tensioning devices 30 and 60 are opposites of each other; in other words, when manufactured, they are made up in pairs, one beingright-handed and the other being left-handed,

For the purpose of this specification, we will describe the device shown at 30, Figure -1; and shown 5, V

' i ""a'nd last filler threads meet when the loom was stopped.

in detail in Figures 3, 4, and 5.

The reed tensioning means3 0 comprises a pair of stiff springs 3| and 32 attached to bushings 33 and 34 by causing the inturned ends of'the springs to be held in recesses 35 in the bushings. Thebushings include a cylindrical portion 36, cylindrical only on the exterior surface and upon this surface are mounted spacing anti-friction rings 31. The bushings, interiorly, are machined to fit over a square shaft 38 which extends throughoppos'itely aligned openings in arms 39 of a U-shaped bracket 40, the base of the bracket resting against the bottom surface of thef-lay 5. The bracket, as shown in Figure 3, is also provided with an upstanding portion 4| which rests against the front surface of. the lay 5. The bracket may be screwed to the lay by means of screws passing through holes 421 and 43. A bolt |3 also secures the bracket to the lay by passing through the slotted hole. 45.

The square shaft 38 is held in one of the arms 39 by means of thenut 46 fitted on threads out upon the shaft. The opposite end of theshaft 38' is cylindrical and carries a gear wheel 41 The gear wheel is engaged by a. worm 48 suitably secured. to an adv justing shaft 49 resembling a bolt, said shaft being journalled in arms 50 integral with the bracket and being adapted to be held in any position by means of lock nut 5|.

The stiff spring 3| is formed with a coiled por-, tion 3| fitting around the bushing 34 and the stiff spring 32 is formed with a coiled portion 32' fitting around the bushing 33. These coiled portions also fit around the anti-friction rings 37. In other words, the bushings and anti-friction rings are confined within the coils of the springs.

. To increase the tension of the springs 3| and 32, and thereby increase the pressure on the reed frame ,25, the shaft 38 is turned by turning the adjusting shaft 49 and setting in motion the worm i8 and gear 41. The nut 5| when tightenedserves to hold the parts just mentioned from'turning. By employing a worm and gear arrangement, minute accurate adjustments are obtainable and furthermore, the adjustments are positively retained. The springs 3| and 32 serve to hold the reed frame 25 against the batten frame or lay, except when the reedframe is moved away against the pressure exerted by these springs when the reed in beating up athread, meets the resistance offered by the woven fabric at the end of its beating" up movement.

' Operation The batten frame or lay as it moves back and forth, causes the reed to beat up the filler thread against the woven fabric. .However, the reed will move away from the lay when it completes the beating up of the filler thread against the fabric, and against the tensions of the springs. When the reed reverses its movement, the pres- "there should be no irregularity in the spacing ofthe filler threads, at the point where the first The employment of the device disclosed and in the manner shown in Figure 1, will maintain even tension on the reed for any length of time and since the devices are not placed on the extreme ends of the battenframe, they will not cause the reed frame to buckle or bend in the. center, thereby destroying even tension over the entire width of the fabric. Furthermore, the means of adjustment allows for'fine adjustment for different qualities of fabrics being woven. The measure of adjustment is not fixed by definite degrees, but practically minute or almost unnoticeable variations of the tension may be obtained by employing the worm and gear arrangement.

We claim:

' 1. In a loom reed'mechanism, a U-shaped attaching bracket having arms which are provided with oppositely aligned openings, a shaft extending through said openings provided with a fastening nut on one end and a worm gear on the other end, a worm coacting with said gear for turning said shaft and holding the same in adjusted positionja plurality of bushings on said shaft between the arms, a coiled spring individual to each of said bushings surrounding and secured thereto and held between said arms, each coiled spring having an extension forming a pressure producmg means. i

2. In a loom reed mechanism, a U-shaped attaching bracket having arms which are provided with oppositely aligned openings, a shaft extending through said openings provided with a fastening nut on one end and a worm gear on the other end, a worm coacting with said gear for turning said shaft and holding the same in adjusted position, a plurality of bushings on said shaft betweenthe arms, a coiled spring individual to each of said bushings surrounding and secu red thereto and held between said arms, said bushings being confined within the coils of said springs and being provided with anti-friction rings, each coiled spring having an extension forming a pressure producing means.

3. In a loom reed mechanism, a U-shaped at taching bracket having arms which are provided with oppositely aligned openings, a shaft extending through said openings provided with a fastening but on one end and a worm gear on the other end, a worm coacting with said gear for turningsaid shaft and holding the same in adjusted position, a plurality of bushings on said shaft between the arms, a coiled spring individual to each of said bushings surrounding and secured thereto and held between said arms, said bushings being confined within the coils of said springs and being provided with anti-friction rings, each coiled spring having an extension forming a MAX A. BORNSTEIN. 

